The UAE is moving towards greater privatisation of water provision services in the country, it has been observed.

Speaking to Gulf News, Emmad Haffar, managing director of Palm Water, said: "Definitely, this is the way to go in future. This is a trend in the UAE and GCC.

"Definitely in the future there will be a greater direction towards private-public partnerships under which the private companies will assist the government in finding solutions for water cooling and desalination and a whole scope of water projects."

Meanwhile, it was also noted that government bodies like the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) are already looking to form more partnerships with private companies.

Waleed Al Salman, DEWA vice-president of strategy and business development, told the news provider that DEWA had given the go-ahead for private-public partnerships and encouraged foreign investment for the Hassyan utilities plant project — the UAE's first private sector plant commissioned by the authority.

At the second annual Hospital Build Middle East Exhibition & Congress this week, it was also reported that the level of private equity investment in the Gulf Cooperation Council's (GCC) healthcare sector is rising strongly.